Dancing On Ice 2014: Pop star Ray Quinn and rugby legend Kyran Bracken top the leader board as celebrities get their skates on for final series

After a fierce first episode of Dancing On Ice 2009 champion and former X Factor star Ray Quinn and rugby legend Kyran Bracken are both top of the leader board with 29.5 points each.

Last to skate Kyran and young star Ray both looked overjoyed with their scores after weeks of hard graft and practice.

Speaking
before skating Ray said: 'I’m ready to fight for it. I’m ready to get my
skates on. It’s a lot more of a challenger with the pressure. I‘m not
scared of hard work.'

Impressive first night: Ray Quinn came joint top of the leader board for this year's Dancing On Ice after skating to Best Song Ever with his partner Maria Filippov

He
added: 'I am feeling the nerves, a bit of pressure there to do a good
job. It’s all starting to feel a bit real now, that’s the thing.'

But
the star gave a flawless skate and ended up with the best scores so far
in the program, including moves such as the 'Which direction', the toe
butterfly and a perfect shoulder sit.

Robin Cousins, Ashley Roberts, Karen Barber and JasonGardiner were back on the judging panel and all loved the performance, giving impressively high scores.

Daring: Top of the skates: Kyran Bracken also came top on the leader board, but judge Jason wasn't all-that impressed saying 'It's been a few years since you won, and you can tell'

Death-defying: Kyran and Nina drew gasps from the audience with their terrifying routine

Robin, Karen and Jason all awarded a 7.5 and Ashley a seven with a total of 29.5.

Karen
told the star she enjoyed having him back. She said:
'Expectations are really high but you are class on ice. There were a few
mistakes but it was great to have you back.'

And Jason added: 'You were one of the best we’ve ever had, but I think you can do a lot better than you gave us tonight.'

He's determined: Ray was crowned Dancing On Ice champion in 2009 and said 'I'm ready to fight for it' this year

Kyran, who was last to skate,cut his arm on the sequins on his dance partner Nina Ulanova’s costume but still managed to squeeze in a double cartwheel and upside down spinning record into their routine.

He said: 'There are so many good skaters it’s going to be like the Olympics. I’m a better skater than I was and I want to push the boundaries. Kyran Bracken’s back.'

His trainer Christopher Dean spoke of the star's competitiveness in a VT before his performance: 'His determination and effort makes him a formidable competitor.'

Robin and Karen gave the star an eight, Ashley a 7 and Mr Frosty Jason left the star with a 6.5 giving him a total of 29.5.

You better believe it: Kyran looked on in disbelief as the judges awarded him high scores after his first skate on Sunday

Not one to follow the trend, Jason said: 'It’s been a few years since you won and you can tell.'

Hayley Tamaddon kicked off the last ever series of Dancing On Ice on Sunday evening with a near-perfect skate to Carly Rae Jepsen's Call Me Maybe.

With a space walk and a whirly birdy thrown into the mix, Coronation Street star Hayley was praised by the judges, including the notoriously frosty Jason Gardiner.

With a six from Robin and Ashley, a seven from Karen , Jason gave the actress a 6.5, saying: 'This is one of my favourite partnerships of all time, however this is the final and we are looking for the ultimate champion.'

Saucy: Hayley Tamaddon and her partner Dan Whiston opened the show with a skate to Call Me Maybe

The near-perfect skate: Hayley, who was on the show four years ago, looked happy and confident as she skated along the ice

Before skating the actress said: 'I am competitive and I put 110 percent into everything. Me and Dan can act like a married couple sometimes - we’ve known each other since we were 12.

She added: 'The pressure’s definitely on this time – it’s four years ago since I did this, I’m a bit older and nothing’s as flexible. Can you imagine the last ever person to win the whole of Dancing on Ice? It would just be a dream.'

Next to take to the ice was singing sensation Gareth Gates who's been playing Prince Charming in panto recently.

In the air: Hayley showed off her fabulous technique during the dance, even jumping so high off the rink both skates were off the ice

That's a cheeky look: The star's performance centered around a phone box on the side of the stage

The scores on the doors: Judge Karen Barber said 'Let the games begin' after the actress's impressive skate

Skating to Take That's song Patience, the star looked nervous as he took to the ice with new partnet Brianne Delcourt.

He said: 'Gareth Skates is back my friends. There’s people who have been skating ever since they’ve been on the show – I haven ‘t. I am feeling a slight pressure. I just hope that the nerves don’t overtake me on the night.

Third onto the ice was singer, dancer and actress Bonnie Langford, who appeared in the first series of the program.

Smooth moves: Gareth Gates danced to Take That's song Patience for his first turn on the ice this year

Chemistry: The star and his partner Brianne Delcourt looked happy to be skating on Sunday evening

Dancing to Too Darn Hot by Ella Fitzgerald, she appeared in a tight red beaded outfit with her dance partner Andrei Lipanov.

But the run-up to her performance wasn't the smoothest with professional skater Mark Hanretty dislocating his shoulder on the ice while rehearsing with Bonnie before the show.

The pro skater's shoulder famously dislocated as he skated onto the ice to perform with Oona King last year. Bonnie said to Mark: 'I’m going to do my absolute best for you.'

And she did with Robin, Jason and Karen awarding her a seven and Ashley a 6.5.

He's a strong one: Gareth, who famously sang a song called Angel On My Shoulder, performed a tricky move as he skated on Sunday

And breath! The pair smiled widely as they posed at the end of the performance, knowing they'd done a good job

Wow: 49-year-old Bonnie Langford performed with a new partner after her former partner Mark Hanratty dislocated his shoulder during rehearsals

Hitting new heights: Bonnie looked impressed when Andrei lifted her up with one hand around her waist

Fifth on the ice was Jorgie Porter,
who is best friends with Jennifer Metcalfe the former girlfriend of DOI
pro skater Sylvain Longchambon.

In
the opening scenes we saw Jorgie hoping not to get Sylvain as a skating
partner after he and Jennifer Split last year - but, surprise surprise,
they were paired together.

She looked unimpressed and said: 'Really? Does that mean I’m going to be his new girlfriend?'

When the pair met for the first time,
she said: 'Is this a date? Do you think I’m good? I can’t concentrate
because of your hair. If he doesn’t try it on with me I’ll be really
angry.'

Getting close: Despite a rough start to their working relationship, Jorgie and Sylvain skated well together in multi-coloured outfits

Nearly at the top: The actress was just 0.5 of a point behind the top spot on the leader board after the judge's scored the skate

High scores: The actress was given high scores, but it wasn't quite enough to beat Ray Quinn to the top spot by half a point

Tipped for the top: Jorgie and Sylvain had impressed the judges with their energetic routine earlier in the evening

Even so, the pair took to the ice skating to Icona Pop's I Love It and skated a toe-tapping fabulous routine, which included a reverse split.

Robin, Karen and Ashley awarded the couple a 7.5 while Jason lagged behind with a 6.5, giving them a total of 29.

Jason said: 'Okay Jorgie, I’ve never seen you before so it’s nice to see you skate. At times I felt the choreography was doing you rather than you doing the choreography.'

Series eight favourite Joe Pasquale was next to the ice, with his glamorous partner Robin Johnstone.

Holding hands: Joe Pasquale and his partner Robin Johnstone looked overwhelmed as they took to the ice

Not such an impossible mission: Joe Pasquale made a great impression with a brilliant skate on Sunday evening

But it wasn't an easy ride for Joe either as he was kicked in the face with a skate during training and was in a car crash on Thursday - but the star performed and received the most praise to date from tough-judge Jason.

Skating to Mission Impossible's theme tune, the star perfected the plank and the double jeopardy with Robin.

Oops: Joe ended up on his back at the end of the dance, but it was all intentional and the judges praised him for the skate

Robin, Karen and Ashely all award him a 5.5 but Jason blew the star out of the water with a generous but well-deserved 7 giving him a total of 23.5.

Jason was thrilled to say: 'It was a solid performance, you’ve actually improved.'

And former Pussycat Doll Ashley said: 'You have a special place in my heart.'